The Sentencing Act 2026

As you probably know, the Sentencing Act 2026 received Royal Assent and was put on the Statute Book on 22nd January 2026.

It is subdivided into Parts and Chapters, and contains 50 Sections and 5 Schedules.

We know from Section 49 (the Commencement Section) that Parts of the Act came into force upon receiving Royal Assent.

We also know from Section 49 that the 22nd March is a crucial date, as many Sections will come into force on that date.

This presentation will mainly concentrate on those Sections in force as at the 22nd March but, in addition, will also highlight other important areas of the Act, albeit they are not yet in force and we await the various Statutory Instruments bringing those Sections into force. The following are merely examples of the material that will be covered during the presentation:

• The ‘presumption’ that sentences of 12 months or less should be suspended – it is merely a ‘presumption’ and the Act sets out the exceptional circumstances which may displace the ‘presumption’
• The types of custodial sentences that may be suspended
• Amendments to the operational period and supervision period of a suspended sentence
• Income Reduction Orders
• Proposed amendments to the Bail Act 1976
• Amendments to the law concerning ‘offenders of particular concern’

Top 3 takeaways from the webinar:

1: The ‘presumption’ regarding the suspension of a sentence

2: The new operational and supervision periods

3: The proposals regarding amendments to the Bail Act 1976

Who this is for:

This session will be of use to anyone involved in any capacity in the criminal justice system.

Level of expertise:

All Levels – this can be picked up throughout anyone’s professional career regardless of experience

CPD hours:

This webinar provides you with 1 hour of learning.

Attendees will receive a CPD certificate upon completion of this course.

Learning objectives:

The object of the exercise during this presentation is to familiarise you with the important amendments made by the Sentencing Act 2026 such that you are not caught out by anything when appearing as an Advocate at Court – if you think about it, many of the amendments will assist you if you are acting for the defence.